Kinsale, Ireland
On Saturday July 31st we drove the windy country roads to the coast. While we were planning this trip we consulted the king of European travel, the one and only Rick Steves. His Ireland recommended itinerary was the perfect travel guide to plan our trip by. Kinsale was a “try hard to see” spot on the list, and since it was on the coast we decided to check it out.
Driving through the green Irish countryside
When we arrived in Kinsale, we found out through a few locals that it was a Bank Holiday Weekend. Not knowing what a bank holiday was, we did not realize that the Irish would be out in full force. After being cooped up for nearly two years, the locals had scooped up all of the hotels and BnBs in the area. Luckily, we found an amazing BnB in a small town called Inishannon.
Before we checked in, we stopped at Charles Fort. The fort was built between 1677 and 1682 to a design which included elements similar to star fortifications; a layout specifically designed to resist attack by cannon. The fort remained in use as a British Army barracks for two hundred years afterwards, before being relinquished by British forces following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The fort fell out of use after being burned by retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War in 1922. From a higher vantage point, we were able to view the spot where the Lusitania was torpedoed by U-Boats in 1915.
Kinsale was swamped with people shopping, eating, and enjoying all that the small fishing town had to offer. While we were walking around, Brian the cat whisperer found another cat. We also found out that Kinsale is the sister city to Newport, RI. After a bit of window shopping, we picked up a bottle of Malbec and some fish and chips from Dinos, which we took back to our BnB for the evening.
The Riverbank House was our favorite place to stay on the trip. Heather and Adam went above and beyond to make sure we had a wonderful stay. Heather greeted us with homemade scones and a pot of tea. After an afternoon in Kinsale, we brought take away back and ate in the gardens. We finished the evening watching the sunset, with a bottle of wine from the cabin overlooking the river. The gardens were spectacular, our room was comfortable and cozy, and breakfast was delicious. Especially, the homemade jams from fruit from their garden! We highly recommend staying at the Riverbank house, and will be at the top of our list when we go back to Ireland.
